Community problems & solutions

The National Center for Safe Routes to School is sponsoring the 112th Annual PTA National Convention & Exhibition that will take place in San Diego, California June 20 – June 23, 2008. NCSRTS will also have an exhibit booth at the conference to distribute information and materials to PTA members on Safe Routes to School and International Walk to School Month.

The National Center for Safe Routes to School offers SRTS programs a downloadable parent survey to assist in the evaluation of their program activities. This survey asks for information about what factors affect whether parents allow their children to walk or bike to school, the presence of key safety-related conditions along routes to school and related background information. The survey results will help determine how to improve opportunities for children to walk or bike to school, and measure parental attitude changes as local SRTS programs occur.

Safe Routes Snapshots provides a brief profile of a Safe Routes to School state or local program that highlights a particular success or issue the program faced. To submit your program for Safe Routes Snapshots, please email news@saferoutesinfo.org.

The National Center has released the 2007 Walk to School Event Organizer Survey Findings and Recommendations. The report provides a brief background on Walk to School events in the U.S. and summarizes findings from a survey conducted of Walk to School event organizers. The report also contains recommended actions that would likely strengthen future events and increase capacity and demand for SRTS programs.

The National Center for Safe Routes to School has released new resources to assist local communities in evaluating their Safe Routes to School programs. The Center has launched the Evaluation section within the SRTS Guide available at www.saferoutesinfo.org/guide/evaluation.

The following is a brief compilation of Safe Routes to School-related news stories from across the country. Web links to the following news stories are time sensitive, so some stories may not be accessible after the initial publication date or may require registration.

The Connecticut Department of Transportation announced in December the award of nearly $1 million in funds from the Federal Highway Administration's Safe Routes to School (SRTS) program for infrastructure projects.

The SRTS program objective is to encourage more students in elementary and middle schools (Grades K-8) to walk and bike to school, as opposed to other transportation alternatives; thereby encouraging a more healthy lifestyle.